Dirty Pretty Sounds
by ScarlingC
Summary: Bella saw Edward's mind the first moment he smelled her blood. She felt his hate, the bloodlust, and the kill. How does Bella manage to fall in love with the mysterious Edward Cullen when all she knows is that he wants to kill her? Can he resist? AU BxE
1. Prologue and Beginnings

**Hello my lovelies :) I'm back with another fanfic, one that I hope you will enjoy. I put a different spin on the the classic we all know and Love, and I hope you don't hate me for it. First off, updates will be made every two weeks due to my schedule. I will update on monday nights, keep on the lookout. FYI... Edward's mind frame call all be read in Midnight Sun, so until I write an EPOV, you can reference that if you want :)**

**It starts off similar to the original, seeing as I kept the characteristics the same, but I assure you, the next chapter will be comeplety different. I wanted you to see how things could have gone had this happened, so obviously it would start similarly.**

**For anyone that leaves a review, you will be mentioned in the next chapters authors note :) This worked well on my last story, and I'd like to do it again :)**

**SM owns all, I'm just having alittle fun with her characters :)**

**IF you're looking for perfection in written form, look no further. **

**Prologue**

No one ever prepared me for the moment I would surely die. They never explained that not all the memories from your life would flash before your eyes, and in my case, they were only memories freshly created. When faced with death, you find out the type of person you really are. You learn if you're brave or fearful, ready or unwilling, broken hearted or in love. I never knew that the hardest moment of my life would not be my death, but rather, leaving the only person that made life worth living…my love…my murderer.

**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

I could feel the cool leather against my forehead as I rested my aching head against the steering wheel as I focused on the light pitter patter of rain drops sprinkling around me, landing with light noises on the top of the rusty old red truck Charlie, my dad, bought for me. It was a welcome home present bought from his good friend Billy Black, whose son Jacob, fixed up into working condition. It was an older model, probably older than Charlie, but it ran and it was easily a vehicle that I could see myself driving comfortably around. At least I wouldn't have to worry about car accidents; this was the type of truck that would leave the scene unscathed. With my luck, I'd need the extra protection.

I smiled to myself, thinking about little 5 foot 4 me driving around in this huge rusty truck, and decided to climb out before I was late to class.

This was my first day of high school at Forks high, not a fact that I would have deemed possible a year ago. But this was about starting new, and maybe giving my newly married mother a little alone time to enjoy her new and younger husband. Some people may say that I'm sacrificing my happiness for her own, and they'd be right. My mother spent the last 17 years raising me on her own in Phoenix Arizona, never putting her happiness above her own. I was happy that she finally found another man, aside from my father, that she could be happy with, despite the age difference.

Phil, her new husband, has big dreams of becoming a pro baseball player, a feat not reached by many. But she had faith in him, and I respected her for it. They married last summer, and had come to feel like the third wheel. I finally decided to move back to Forks, Washington with my dad so that my mom, Renee, could enjoy married life hitch free. Of course she doesn't know that, and neither does my dad, they just think I really wanted to move back up here, but if it made everyone just a little more happy that I was here, then I was content to make them happy. I always had the rest of my life to make it up to myself.

So that's why I found myself walking the slippery wet steps of Forks high in search of the office.

My converse squeaked on the tile and I opened the door leading me to a Ms. Cope, the office attendant.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm here for my schedule?" I asked, fearing the look of utter excitement dancing in her eyes. Recognition… She knew who I was, or rather, whose daughter I was. Oh god.

"Isabella! We're so excited to finally have you here! You're father has done nothing but talk about how excited he is to have you move up here with him." She smiled, placing a warm clammy hand on my own.

"Thanks, it's nice to be here too." I mumbled, smiling shyly back up at her. The only thing I hated more than trigonometry was attention. I'd rather just live life going unnoticed, like I usually did back in Arizona.

"Okay, well back to business. Here's your class schedule, you have English first, and it's just about to start so off you go…" She smiled, dismissing me.

I followed the map that she handed me and after a few wrong turns and a couple good guesses, I had found English, my first class of the day. I was relieved to say the least, English was my favorite subject, and I was determined to enjoy this class.

I managed fly through the entire morning unscathed, both physically and mentally. I had been befriended by a few students, but none that had me running back to Arizona. My head ache from earlier had still not let up, but I was becoming quite amazing at ignoring it. It was lunch time now, and I just needed to survive this then 2 more classes and I would be home free.

"A seat for milady." An over eager boy named Mike Newton said as he pulled out a chair for me. I awkwardly slid into it, not liking the extra attention he bestowed upon me. At least the lunch food didn't seem too terrible. I picked absently at my pizza, more interested in the new scenery than the latest gossip coming from Jessica Stanley's mouth, a girl that I had met In Trig.

It was at that moment that I saw them. They floated effortlessly into the room, beautiful and as graceful as I dreamed I could be. They all were so different, but all so alike. I looked at all of them, taking in their good looks and beauty. My eyes fell upon who looked like the youngest, and handsomest, of the group, a pile of bronze disheveled hair, the kind that belonged in a hair product commercial. My head ached again, and I winced from the sudden unexpected pain.

I turned my head back to Jessica and whispered, "Who are they?" I couldn't remember meeting them from when I would visit as a kid.

"Oh, they're just the Cullen's. They moved here about 2 years ago from Alaska. They're Dr. Cullen's foster kids." She said, as if that meant anything to me.

"Dr. Cullen?" I asked, noticing that the bronzed hair boy was facing my direction as a sudden pain swept through my head followed by a tingling. This damn headache.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know them. He's some kind of young genius doctor that moved here. Supposedly he got offered jobs all around the country but he choose Forks because his wife, Esme Cullen, liked it here." She explained.

"Oh… Who's that one with the bronze colored hair?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. I wanted to know the name of the boy that made butterflies flutter in my stomach with just a look.

"You mean Edward? The one that's staring right at you?" She giggled.

"Stop looking!" I hissed, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

"You asked. That's Edward, he's so hot. But he's completely unattainable, I wouldn't even try." She dismissed, waving her hand. My head pulsed with the pain again, and I mentally kicked myself for not having Tylenol on me.

"We should probably get to class; I don't want to be late." I said, standing as the bell rang.

"I'll walk you!" Mike said with a little too much enthusiasm, Jessica's frown not escaping my notice.

"Sure, I don't even know where it's at."

"It's cool that we have the same class together, maybe Mr. Banner will let you be my lab partner."He chirped, making me want to laugh. Who chirped? Obviously Mike Newton did.

"You don't have a lab partner?" I asked.

"Well…I do, but maybe he'll switch us anyway." He hoped.

We walked the rest of the way silently, my head throbbing almost unbearably. This head ache would just not let up. Finally we reached Biology and I made my way to Mr. Banner, the teacher. Mike's attempts at having me as a lab partner were I'll fated, because Mr. Banner just told me to sit in the empty chair next to Edward.

Edward? Edward. It was the bronzed haired Adonis from the lunch room. My cheeks flamed when I realized that I would be sitting next to him the entire semester, and I wasn't sure if I was happy or terrified of that fact. The nearer I walked to my seat, the more my cheeks blushed and my head ached. Just as I was about to reach my seat, I locked eyes with Edward Cullen as gush of wind from the heater behind me hit, and I was unprepared for what awaited me.

Pure, unadulterated hatred flashed through his eyes, causing the hairs on my arms to rise. I felt like a cat who had been frightened, hair standing on end, tail shot straight in the air. He looked at me like I was his prey, his eyes the darkest of black. I was terrified, and I had no idea why. He was just a teenage boy, one that sort of looked like he wanted to kill me…just a little. But just as I tried to push away my fear, my headache gave way to a flowing of messages.

All within in fractions of seconds, I would see, hear, taste, feel so many things, it was overwhelming. I could see pools and pools of blood, hear screams and cries for help, feel what it would feel like to snap someone's neck in half and feel their dead body in my arms. I don't know how I could know these things, but I did. It felt like death itself had opened up inside me, as if I had walked the nine circles of Hell with Virgil himself. It felt dark and cold inside my head, and I could see were the black eyes staring with pure hatred in front of me.

It was all just too much, I couldn't handle it anymore. The pain and the agony were too much to take. My head pounded, and all I wanted was out of that room. Before I had any chance to run out of the class room, the only thing I remembered seeing was the tile coming closer to my face before I succumbed to the darkness…

**Thank you for reading, please stop in and leave a review :)**

**For anyone that leaves a review, you will be mentioned in the next chapters authors note :) This worked well on my last story, and I'd like to do it again :) And a photobucket account has been set up for this story, you can find the link on my profile page :)**


	2. The Pixie

**So I was feeling generous and I thought I would update a week early, but don't fret, you'll still get an update next monday :) And if you're too impatient to wait for the story to reveal what happened in chapter one, just ask, and I will tell :) Thanks for the great response to Chapter one by the way, you guys are amazing :)**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (in no particular order)... **

_**pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383**_

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

"Bella…. Can you hear me…? I think she's coming around…" I could hear voices swirling around in my head, fuzzy words making their way in. I started to regain consciousness, realizing they were talking about me. _How long had I been out?_ I couldn't remember why I was here in the first place, and slowly fear began to trickle in. I slowly blinked my eyes, the lights in the drab hospital room brighter than I would have liked. I tried to focus on my hand first, realizing it wasn't hooked to an IV. _Well this is a first, no IV in a hospital._ Well at least I didn't have surgery or a life threatening sickness.I slowly trained my eyes to the other people in the room.

Charlie, a couple nurses, and a really good looking doctor. I smiled weakly at Charlie, trying to assure him that I was fine, but nothing would erase the permanent stress vein on his forehead. I looked to the doctor, taking in his name tag as he tried in vain to talk to me. I could barely process where I was, I was not about to listen to this doctor speak.

Cullen. Carlisle Cullen_. Why does that name sound familiar? _

…"_Dr. Cullen?" I asked, noticing that the bronzed hair boy was facing my direction as a sudden pain swept through my head followed by a tingling. This damn headache._

"_Oh, that's right, you don't know them. He's some kind of young genius doctor that moved here. Supposedly he got offered jobs all around the country but he choose Forks because his wife, Esme Cullen, liked it here." Jessica explained…._

Then it hit me. Memories of what I had seen prior to my collapse rushed into my head again, the pain and terror flowing through my body. I began to shake, my hands and legs trembling from the fear. I quickly sat up, becoming disoriented with the sudden movement, and checked my body for the wounds I was sure to have. I checked my arms, and nothing. Next my legs, again nothing. I felt my neck, and not one sore muscle to be detected. Why did I remember the screaming and the blood and…and death… but there's no evidence on me to prove it real?

I began to realize that someone's arms were trying to hold me still, a smooth voice asking for my attention.

"Bella…I'm Dr. Cullen. You're okay Bella, you fainted at school and they brought you here. You're okay." He soothed, repeating every word as he looked into my eyes, forcing me to believe him. I was okay. I sighed heavily, slumping back onto the hospital bed.

"What…what happened?" I croaked out, my voice scratchy from lack of water.

"You fainted in your Biology class, and the nurse called an ambulance when you didn't wake up," Dr. Cullen explained. "We called your father, and he's been here the entire time."

"How long have I been out?" I asked, they made it sound like it was months.

"About 2 hours, you must have hit your head pretty hard." He said, trying to make light of it.

"I don't think it was the fall." I explained, his features shifting slightly darker before correcting themselves quickly.

"What do you believe it was a product of then?" He asked genuinely.

"I had a really bad headache all day, I don't know why really. Maybe it had to do with that?" I offered.

"Could be, I'd like to take a CT scan if that would be alright, just to make sure everything is okay up there," he said, lightly touching my head and walking to the hall to fill out some paperwork.

"Okay." I answered quietly. I looked over to Charlie, feeling guilty that I worried him so much, and it was only my first day. "Sorry dad, I should have warned you that you'd frequent the hospital a lot more nowadays. I should have a frequent flyer card here or something." I said trying to get him to relax.

"You scared me Bells, you really had me worried there for a second. Your mom was about to jump on a plane to come get you right before you woke up." He said.

"You called mom?" I groaned. "All she's going to do is freak out…and call everyday, 4 times a day."

"She's your mother Bells, she deserved to know." He grumbled, clearly wishing he had not called her in the first place."

"I know dad, and I love her to death, but you and I both know she has a tendency to overreact…a lot."

"You've got a point," he smiled.

After few more tedious and useless tests, they concluded that my fall was caused from a migraine. A MIGRAINE! Well, that was just another notch to add to the already long list of Bella ailments. It would fit in nicely next to uncoordinated and broken bones. After their conclusion, Charlie and I went back home.

I had never been happier to be home in my entire life. I hated hospitals, the smell always made me nauseous, and people I had never met kept coming by to introduce themselves to the chief's daughter. I was just glad to back, busying myself with making dinner in the kitchen.

"Are you sure you're okay to make dinner Bells? I can just order pizza; I really think you should take it easy." Charlie said.

"I'm fine dad, it was just a migraine remember? It's gone now, and I don't, mind making dinner," I shrugged my shoulders, returning to the spaghetti I was preparing.

"Well, if you're sure…" He grumbled as he walked towards the living room to watch a baseball game.

I continued making dinner, thinking about my disastrous first day.

I had made friends, something that had not happened in the 17 years I lived in Phoenix, so that was an improvement. I liked my classes, well the one's I made it to anyway. And I saw the most beautiful Adonis in my entire life, but he looked like he wanted to kill me. That was when things began to go awry. I had a migraine the entire day, and I the minute I walk into Biology and lock eyes with Mr. Greek God, I have a complete freak out and faint. Then I spent the rest of the day in the hospital with said Greek God's dad, who just happens to be my doctor. All in all, it was a terrible day. I still couldn't figure out what had happened in Biology right before I fainted.

I served Charlie his dinner and gave it to him in the living room, then made a small plate for myself and ate at the dinner table alone. After I rinsed my plate, I walked up to my room and buried myself in my sheets trying to fall asleep. I was restless, unable to focus on sleep. It was only 7pm so I wasn't really tired, but I just wanted today to end so that I could start over tomorrow.

I stared at the ceiling, not letting my thoughts consume me. I turned on my stereo, letting my iPod shuffle just for the noise. I didn't even know where my backpack was, it was probably in biology class still with my homework assignments. I groaned in frustration, it was just my luck to leave all that behind, but then again, I was unconscious.

I heard the doorbell ring, and I ignored it when I heard Charlie's heavy steps walking to answer it. It was probably Billy coming over to visit Charlie, or a neighbor that heard about what happened. I was curious of who could be visiting when I heard steps coming up the stairs. They were lighter than, not as heavy as Charlie's, and I wondered who he had let up here when there was a knock on my door.

I sat up quickly, throwing on a hoodie that I had left on my old rocking chair, flicked on the light, and ran to answer the door. The person awaiting me was definitely not someone I expected.

"Hi Bella, I'm glad that you're okay," the small pixie in front of me said warmly, "I know we've never met but I told your dad that we were friends so that he would let me up here, and well I wasn't exactly lying, we will be friends, I just sped up the process." She chirped happily, allowing herself into my room. I was speechless, completely taken by surprise by her. She looked familiar, but I could not place her.

"How…how do you know my name?" I asked, closing the door behind her.

"Everyone knows your name silly, you're the chief's daughter," she laughed.

"Oh right, sorry. Well you know my name, but I don't think I know yours." I said, relaxing a little. She was very easy to be around, it was hard not to be relaxed with her.

"I'm Alice Cullen; I believe you met my dad earlier at the hospital." She said, looking at the pictures I had on my wall from Phoenix.

"Oh, then you're my new lab partner's sister then too." I said absently, looking for a topic of conversation.

"Yep, and that's the reason I'm here. My brother picked up your backpack when they took you to the hospital, and my dad asked me to drop it by. I managed to get you excused from doing the homework tonight, your teachers said to get well." She said.

"You didn't have to do that, but thank you." I smiled and walked over to sit on my bed.

"No problem, that's what friends are for," she said smiling, glancing at the closet a few times. "Well, it's getting late; I should probably go unless... you want me to help you decide what to wear tomorrow?" Her eyes glittered with an excitement that I sensed I would come to regret.

"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?" I asked, wondering if there was a special occasion I had to dress up for.

"School silly, I just thought maybe I could help you pick out the perfect I-swear-I'm-okay-I-just-fainted outfit." She said, her energy building and causing her to bounce in place slightly, reminding me of a ticking bomb.

"Um…sure I guess." I said, the bomb exploding. In a flash and a smile, she was already sifting through clothes in my closet and drawers, holding shirts up to my chest and bottoms to my hips.

"Hmm… I think green would be a good color, what do you think? Do you like this top, maybe layered with this jacket?" She asked, holding up a green thermal long sleeve, and a brown corduroy jacket. "You have to wear that teal undershirt with the green shirt, and then I was thinking these dark wash jeans would look pretty good, oh and you should wear flats."

"I don't think I own flats." I answered, surprised of her outfit choice. I really liked what she had put together, and I was surprised I had never thought about it before. I had bought my brown jacket years ago, and had forgotten I still had it, and the pants were a gift from my mom when she still tried to influence my fashion sense. They were a little too skinny for my taste in the leg area, but they were at least comfortable.

"Hmm… Then your converse will have to do until we go shopping." She said, furrowing her brow. "You don't have dresses, or denim skirts, or even shorts… Where are your blouses?" She asked confused, still looking in my closet.

"My blouses?" What was the difference, a shirt was a shirt.

"Oh my… We're definitely going shopping after school tomorrow in Port Angeles, at least until our shopping trip to Seattle." She said, plopping down on the bed next to me.

"Wait… Shopping? I don't think I really have enough money right now, and Charlie just bought me the truck…" I said, trying to get out of it and hoping my excuses worked.

"Nonsense, don't even worry about it. I invited you, so it's my treat, plus I had to go anyway." She smiled.

"You don't have to do that Alice, I'm fine, and I really don't need any more clothes." I reasoned, uncomfortable that she wanted to buy it all.

"Uh huh… You're going Bella, and that's that. I'll pick you up at your house right after school tomorrow." She said standing. "I should probably go now, it's getting late."

"Okay, thanks again for dropping off my backpack and the shopping trip, that's really nice of you. Tell your brother thanks for grabbing my bag. " I said, walking her down to her car.

"Oh, um… my brother's actually out of town right now, but I'll tell him when he gets back." She said, nervous now.

"Out of town? It's the middle of a school week." I said confused.

"Yeah, he does that sometimes. He's a little more brooding that your average boy. He's just hiking." She laughed.

"I noticed." I mumbled.

"What was that?" Oops, she must have heard me.

"Oh, I just noticed he didn't really seem to care for me, which is also why I was a bit surprised to hear that he grabbed my bag for me. He just…well, he looked at me like he hated me earlier, that's all." I said sheepishly.

"Oh Edward looks at everyone like that. But I promise you Bella, he most certainly does not hate you." She smirked, _what was that supposed to mean?_

"Um…well I'll see you at school tomorrow." I said, ending the awkward silence that was beginning to forge.

"Okay, see you later Bella! I have to get Rosalie's car back to the house before she realizes it's gone." She smirked, and I noticed for the first time what she was driving…. A cherry red convertible. Whoa.

I walked back inside, about to walk back up to my room still thinking about Alice's car, when I remembered my own.

"Dad! Where's my truck?" I asked, realizing I hadn't seen it outside.

"It's still parked at your school. I'll just drive you to school tomorrow and you can drive it home after you get out." He said.

"Okay." I muttered, not relishing in the fact that I had to ride to school in my dad's patrol car.

I fell asleep dreaming of a bronzed haired Adonis and a bouncing pixie…

**Read and Review Please?**

**Anyone who Reviews this story will receive a sneak peak into the next chapter, as well as an honorable mention in the authors note of the next chapter :) And a photobucket account has been set up for this story if your interested in seeing any pictures of what I'm describing, just go to the link on my profile page :)**


	3. Friends

**Thank you to all that have read and shown an interest in this story, glad you've all liked it so far :) Sorry for such the short update this week, I've been crazy busy lately with work and parties and graduations, but I promise a longer chapter in 2 weeks. This chapter is just creating the basis for Alice and Bella's friendship, no Edward just yet :) A huge shout out goes to my best friend, his band is opening for Attack Attack and I'm soo proud of him :D**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (in no particular order)... **

_**pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT**_

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

School had passed in a blur and before I knew it, I was speeding towards Port Angeles with Alice Cullen.

"I know the perfect boutique that has everything we'll need to get you today!" She sang excitedly, grabbing my attention.

"Really Alice, I don't need that much stuff." I tried reasoning, something I quickly came to realize was futile.

"Don't be silly Bella, you need flats, blouses, and the perfect fit jeans. No wardrobe is complete without them."

"If you say so…" I muttered quietly.

"I heard that!"

"Sorry, geesh." I muttered, realizing we had reached our destination. It was a small boutique, the type that looked even too expensive to walk into. I moaned in defeat as I opened the car door and walked in slowly behind her. She screamed excitedly and ran over to a wall of folded jeans, exclaiming that I just _had_ to get them. I rolled my eyes, _this would be a long day…_

Six pairs of flats, one pair of boots, fourteen pairs of jeans, thirty-six blouses and shirts, two peacoats, four hoodies, three pairs of shorts, one denim mini skirt, seven bruises, and fifty-six moments of embarassment later, Alice and I we're on our way back to Forks.

"Wow Alice, when you said you liked shopping, I didn't believe you liked it this much…" I said, furrowing my brow and looking ot the large mass of shoppiong bags in the back seat. There we're still more bags in the trunk as well.

"Well, you can never have enough clothes, and you were in dire need of them Bella." She joked.

"Ha. Ha." I said, not being able to restrain my smile. "Thank you for this, it was a lot of fun. And thank's for the clothes, I really did like most of them." I said sincerely.

"Most of them?" She asked.

"Well… the skirts and shorts may be a little too short for my taste." I admitted.

"And here I thought they we're a little long." She laughed jokingly. "They looked fine Bella, you looked great in them."

"Thanks." I smiled, realizing that this was the first shopping trip that I had ever enjoyed. It was easy to relax and have fun with Alice. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"You didn't have fun in sunny Phoenix?" She asked.

"I did, it was just that I was more of loner I guess you could say." I admitted, looking out the car window and frowning at all the damp colored moss and tress on the other side.

"You didn't like the people there?"

"It was more them not liking me, I never really fit in I guess. It was weird my first day at Forks High because it was almost as if everyone wanted to be my friend, and I am definitly not used to that." I said, looking back at Alice, then back out the window. "I never had a best friend, aside from my mom."

"We'll, if you let me…I'd like to be your friend Bella." She smiled, placing her ice cold hand on my arm. A chill ran through me, and a nagging anxious feeling swept over me. It was almost as if my body were afraid, but my mind wasn't. Odd.

"I'd like that." I smiled, turning to look back at my driveway. "Wow, that was fast. That was like a 25 minute drive…"

"I like to drive fast." She laughed, and I did the same. "Here I'll help you with the bags."

"Thanks." I said, grabbing armfulls of shopping bags and hauling them to my room. By the time we had finished unloading the car of bags, my entire bedroom floor was covered, not one wooden floorboard to be seen.

"Hmm…I guess I may have gone alittle overboard." Alice, giggled.

"That's an understatement." I snorted.

"What the… Bells, what's all this?!" Charlie said surprised, taking in all the shopping bags on the floor.

"Hi Chief Swan," Alice greeted my dad, "Bella and I went shopping today, she needed more cloted appropriate for Forks weather." She said sweetly, and I snorted again. Like those shorts were Forks apprpriate.

"You must have spent all of your Phoenix money Bella, or used that credit card I gave you for emergencies." He said, frowning slightly.

"It was nothing Chief, I'm a regular customer at the boutique we went to and they just charged my account, it's a welcome to Forks present." Alice smiled again, melting my father like butter.

"Oh…uhm, well that was very nice of you Alice. I'm sure Bells is very thankful for that." He muttered uncomfortably.

"No problem. Okay Bella, I have to go, but I'll see you at school tomorrow." She said, bouncing over to me and giving me a hug before running down my stairs to her car.

"So… Alice Cullen bought all of this?" He asked, confused again.

"Yep, she wouldn't even let me open my wallet." I explained.

"That was…um, nice of her," He said, scrathing his scruff. "I'm gonna go to La Push and watch the game with Billy, you wanna come?"

"No, it's okay, I have to unpack all of this and still finish my homework." I said.

"Alright Bells, I'll see you later. Are you okay on dinner?" He asked.

"Yeah, Alice and I stopped and grabbed burgers on the way home."

"Okay, goodnight Bells." He said, closing my door and leaving me to unpack enough clothes for me to start a small business.

**Read and Review Please?**

**Anyone who Reviews this story will receive a sneak peak into the next chapter, as well as an honorable mention in the authors note of the next chapter :) And a photobucket account has been set up for this story if your interested in seeing any pictures of what I'm describing, just go to the link on my profile page :)**


	4. Return

**Wow you guys rock! Thanks again for the support, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far ****Remember, in 2 weeks on a Monday, I will update again, so come back soon!**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_**pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, ****FelicityT, **_**klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811**

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

The days droned on, an endless supply of homework and clothes filling my time. Alice and I had quickly become friends, which meant that I had become a permanent fixture at her family's table instead of Jessica Stanley's. I wasn't as warmly received by her siblings, Rosalie's automatic dislike and Jasper's cool indifference, while her brother Emmett seemed to enjoy my clumsiness. It had begun to feel comfortable sitting with them, something that I had never felt in Arizona.

It was Monday again as I made my way to my now usual lunch table. I carefully balanced my pizza and lemonade on my tray, praying for grace, as I weaved in and out of the maze of chairs and tables. I looked up; to make sure I was heading in the right direction when my eyes landed on a mess of bronze hair. _Edward Cullen was back. _My heart began beating faster, and I couldn't tell if it was from fear or excitement. I kept walking to the table where he was seated as Alice waved to me, and I couldn't help but notice how his back went rigid at the mention of my name.

My palms began to sweat, becoming clammy at the mere thought of sitting with him at lunch. I finally reached the table, setting my tray in between Alice and Emmett. I smiled and greeted everyone at the table, avoiding Edward's gaze, as I rubbed my hands on my jeans to dry them. I sat there at the table, quiet as I realized I had lost my appetite, and could only pick apart my pizza as Alice and Rosalie discussed a recent shopping trip that I had avoided.

I could feel his gaze on me, the power of his stare melting me. I didn't want to look up, remembering what happened the last time I looked him in the eye, and the beauty of his face that I surely would not be able to hide my blush from. What had happened last week when I looked into his eyes, what had I seen? I could remember hurt, pain, and death, but I couldn't think as to why or how I could feel it. I was curious to know that if I looked into his eyes once more, if I would feel that again, or just the swirl of butterflies that a pretty face can create.

Slowly, I looked up, barely meeting his golden gaze before I dropped my eyes again. He looked… confused, maybe even a little intrigued. He definitely didn't look angry like the last time, or scary. And I didn't feel that rush of feelings again, but I still felt scared for some reason. It was like I subconsciously knew that I was in danger, but I wasn't. I did notice however, how my stomach began swirling with what I can only assume to be the figurative butterflies, and my heart beat faster as I thought about the way his eyes seemed to look into my soul. I looked back up, entranced in his shouldering golden gaze again. _Strange…_

"Earth to Bella…?" Alice sang, clearly trying to get my attention.

"Oh… um… yes?" I asked, realizing I had missed the entire conversation.

"Well, Rose and I we're just saying that we wanted to drive up to Seattle this weekend for a shopping trip, and I asked if you wanted to go. But if you would rather stare at Edward, that's fine by me." She smiled devilishly, raising an eyebrow. I blushed furiously, embarrassed that I had been caught red handed.

"I'm busy that weekend, thanks anyway." I muttered, hoping the floor could swallow me up. With my cheeks still an embarrassing shade of red, I stole a quick glance to Edward, and was surprised to see that same look of disgust on his face again, before he quickly rose from his seat and took off towards the doors.

"Someone's still moody." Rosalie commented.

"I can't believe you said that Alice." Burying my face in my hands, a death from embarrassment a possibility at this moment.

"What? It's not like every other girl in this school hasn't been caught ogling my brother too." She laughed.

"But I'm not like other girls, I don't ogle, I blush then fall flat on my butt." I muttered.

"And here I thought you just fainted at the sight of my brother." She said.

"Even worse…" I mumbled. "There's the bell, I should get going."

"Okay Bella, see you later!" Alice sang as I gathered my things and walked to Biology.

I half expected Edward to be missing again, just as he was absent the previous week, but to my surprise he sat in his original seat again. I walked over, trying to pretend my heart wasn't beating faster than a hummingbirds', and just act normal. His body went rigid as I sat, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw him slowly relax. He seemed as if he were relaxed but ready to spring.

I opened my books, pretending to look over the homework that was due today, anything to avoid an awkward moment, as if that were possible.

"Hello Bella, I'm Edward… Alice's brother, but I'm sure she told you that." He said, smiling timidly as me. I couldn't believe he was talking to me, when moments before in the cafeteria he looked at me like I was the foulest creature on earth. I was at a loss for words at his sudden mood change. "My sister never mentioned you were mute." He smirked, an edginess dancing behind his eyes.

"Uhhhmm…Sorry… Yeah, hi, I'm Bella. No, I'm not mute; you just, uh, caught me off guard." I stammered, blushing at what an idiot I must have sounded like. _Ohh, that smirk_…

"It's perfectly fine, my actions must not have sent the most welcoming of feelings, and for that I must apologize." He said, and I was struck speechless again at how mature he spoke. It was like talking to a gentleman, something very rare in current society. He reminded me of a character from one of my books. "I suffer with very bad headaches, and sometimes due to that condition, I can be quite the moody bastard my sister Rosalie so lovingly puts it." He smirked again. _Swoon…_

"Really, it's fine. I get it if I smell; most people are turned off by that too." I said seriously, smiling when I saw the confusion written all over his face. "Kidding." I smiled back, lightening the situation.

"Oh..." He said, slowly smiling at my ridiculous attempt to be funny. "Trust me Bella Swan, you most certainly do not smell, well… not bad atheist." He said, smirking again. That smirk was easily becoming my favorite thing in the world.

"Thanks, I think." We turned our attention to the board as Mr. Banner explained the day's lesson. Occasionally, I would see Edward stiffen beside me, and slowly calm down. His headaches must be pretty severe, poor guy. Once, I thought I saw Alice walking by the classroom, but as I looked again, she was gone. _That's odd… _The minute the bell rang, he was up and out of his seat and out the door before anyone had a chance to get out of their own seats. Maybe I really did smell…

By the end of gym, I was ready to go home. I limped towards my truck, my ankle being my latest injury from Volleyball. How I managed to fall over _tennis balls _even amazed my teacher, we didn't even have tennis courts! I didn't even know we had Tennis balls, but just my luck, my foot decided to step back onto one, and I went falling towards the floor, my ankle twisting in the process. They had tried to convince me to see the nurse, even go to the hospital, but I assured them all that I've had much worse. If I could just make it to my truck, I could drive home and put some ice on it.

I limped and hopped my way over to my truck, exhaling when I finally reached the gigantic thing. I fumbled with the keys in my backpack, trying to find them amidst the mess, finally pulling them out of my bag. Just as I was about to unlock my door, my keys slipped from my grasp right into a puddle. _Oh great! _I bent down to get them just as a flash of white reached down to get them first. I looked up to see Edward Cullen holding my keys, shocked at his close proximity and losing my balance at the same time. I lost my footing and began to fall straight back, his hand reaching out and catching me before I hit the floor. He pulled me in close, my body flush against his. We stood there, both shocked at the sudden closeness, and he quickly stepped away, keeping one had outstretched to steady me.

"What…" I began to ask.

"You dropped your keys; I just thought I'd help you." He quickly answered.

"Thanks." I said awkwardly.

"Why are you limping?" He asked, trying to get rid of the awkwardness.

"Volleyball. I tripped over some tennis balls." I reluctantly said.

"We don't even have tennis courts?" He said.

"Don't rub it in." I pouted, still embarrassed.

"Wait a minute… you managed to trip on something that we don't even offer here? Alice wasn't lying when she said you were a magnet for disaster." He laughed.

"I'm glad I can be so entertaining." I mumbled. "Was there a reason you came over?" I asked, irritated that he had the nerve to tease me. His smile faltered, an emptiness filling his eyes again.

"I'm sorry, that was rude. True, but yet still rude. Alice wanted me to give you this." He said, handing me a small box.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Probably another closet, knowing Alice."

"It's a little small to be a closet." I smiled.

"Alice is also a little small to have that much energy." He said right back.

"Touché." I said, opening the small box. Inside of it was what seemed like a folded up piece of paper, and I looked at it confused."What is it?" I asked, lifting it out of the box. It was fatter than I thought.

"It's a paper fold out theatre." He said, folding it out and popping it into place. Sure enough, it was a mini theatre, reenacting the balcony scene from _Romeo and Juliet. _"You see, you look into it from the front, and it looks like a vintage theatre, each row adding more depth to the scene." Edward explained.

"It's… amazing. Where is she, I want to thank her." I said, looking around.

"Alice had to go home early; she gets the same headaches I suffer from. I'll let her know you like it." He said, moving away from me. "You really like it?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, it's my favorite scene in the play, I love it. It's _definitely_ something different." I smiled, holding the paper theatre delicately. Edward smiled, something else hidden there beneath the surface.

"I'm glad you like it. See you tomorrow Bella." Edward said, walking towards his Volvo.

"Bye." I said, climbing into my truck. I looked at my gift again, smiling at the thoughtfulness of the gift. I looked it over, admiring all the little details. In the far left bottom corner, I could make out the artists initials… _EC… Edward Cullen_… My jaw dropped and my breath stuck in my throat as I realized this wasn't a present from Alice, it was a present from her brother. I looked up, feeling eyes upon me. From across the parking lot, Edward Cullen was looking intently at me as he leaned against his Volvo, waiting for his siblings. I blinked, wondering why he would give me a gift. As if the heavens had answered me, I felt something fall on my lap. I looked down to see a small slip of paper that had fallen from a fold of the theatre and picked it up, it read:

_I'm Sorry._

_-E. Cullen_

He was sorry for the way he acted, and I smiled knowing he didn't hate me. I looked back up to smile at him, but he was already gone, his Volvo exiting the parking lot.

So Edward Cullen did have a heart…

**Read and Review Please?**

**Anyone who Reviews this story will receive a sneak peak into the next chapter (it might take a few days to write and send) , as well as an honorable mention in the authors note of the next chapter :) And a photobucket account has been set up for this story if your interested in seeing any pictures of what I'm describing, just go to the link on my profile page :)**


	5. Nightmares

**So Sorry for the late post, I've just been hired for a new job, so I'm juggling two at the moment, graduation parties every weekend, a social life, and a best friend in a band that seems to need my constant attention (whoever said lead singers are divas, never met the drummers) He's a royal pain, but I still love him **

**Anyways… Here's the next post, and due to the craziness, I won't be able to update on Monday like I planned, I will just have to get them out when I can ****but it still won't be more than 3 weeks between updates, scouts honor **

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, _klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Addiekatm, parkerstwilight, Manna1, edwardbella92

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

**Here is a link to the Paper theater website from last chapter, I bought one in London from this place, and it is what I had in mind that Edward made...**

_**http:/www. pollockstoytheatres .com/**_

That night was the first time I dreamt of Edward Cullen, or rather, he was the star in my nightmares. Thinking of Edward, one would assume a romantic steamy dream with a scantily clad Edward. But instead, my subconscious decided to make him kill me, again…and again… and again. It was becoming an every night occurrence. I would go to school and see a quiet, yet polite, Edward, but the minute I would go to bed, a more murderous Edward would creep out.

Sometimes, he would strangle me with his ice cold bare hands, other nights he would simply strand me in the forest, but the nightmares that disturbed me the most were the ones where he would bite me, almost like a Vampire. It was ridiculous thinking about it, but I would always wake up from a mild panic attack when I had that nightmare. It brought back the feelings that I had felt my first day at Forks High. I could hear the screams inside the classroom; the blood splattered everywhere, and my lifeless body strewn at his feet, a single drop of my blood dripping from his chin. I shuddered even just remembering.

But even so, I couldn't stay away from him. I would catch myself staring at him in the lunch room, or glancing at him in Biology when he wasn't looking. There was one thing I knew for certain, Edward Cullen terrifies me, but I can't walk away. For some dark reason, I wanted him. I wanted the boy that killed me in my sleep every night. And it scared me that I wanted him.

I arrived at school, thinking about my make-believe homicidal Edward, when the real life version of him walked over to my truck.

"Good morning Bella." He smiled warmly, sending chills down my spine… the good kind.

"Hi Edward." I smiled shyly back. If he only knew what I dreamt of the night before.

"So I was wondering if you would like to start on our Biology project after school today. We haven't really had a chance to work on it and it's due tomorrow." He said uncomfortably. It was true, he and I had kept putting off this assignment, and now we were forced to get together and finish it.

"Yeah, sure. I brought the notes with me. Um… where do you want to work on it at?"

"How about your place, my house is a bit crazy with camping trip supplies." He chuckled.

"Camping trip?" I asked, _was he leaving_?

"My family and I go camping when the weather is nice, and this weekend is supposed to be perfect weather." He explained.

"Oh… ok…I'll see you in Biology then." I said morosely, walking towards my first building.

"You mean lunch?" He asked amused.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You hardly ever join us in the lunch room so I just figured…" I said dazed, his crooked smile dazzling me. I snapped out of hit when he turned away and started walking towards another building.

"I'll be there today. See you soon Bella Swan." He called over his shoulder as he walked away chuckling.

Edward Cullen would be the death of me someday…

"Okay, so this is the Shoot system, which is above ground and includes the organs such as leaves, buds, stems, flowers, etc…" Edward pointed out, tracing his fingers along the diagram he made for our project. It looked more like something that would be found in a science fair, not a class presentation. I looked at my clumsy attempt at a diagram and sighed.

"Well, here's root system. It includes those parts of the plant below ground, like the roots, tubers, and rhizomes…" I said dejectedly.

"What's the matter? You seem down." Edward asked, sitting back in the sofa. We had returned to my house after school to finish our biology project and were currently in my stuffy living room, trying to fuse our two diagrams together.

"Nothing." I said, looking at our two diagrams and wishing that I had the talent to make mine nicer.

"No, not 'nothing'. What's wrong?" He asked, leaning forward, trying to read my expression. He seemed genuinely concerned.

"It's just that your diagram is so nice and professional looking, and mine looks like a 1st grader put it together." I said, frowning. "I wish I had enough time to make it nicer, so that it doesn't look so drab next to yours."

"Bella, your diagram looks fine. I don't see a different in them at all." He said, trying to make me feel better.

"There's a huge difference. Yours is perfect and structured…mine is crooked and lifeless." I mumbled, crossing my arms.

"You're not going to be able to sleep are you, until you feel that it's improved?" He said, already knowing the answer.

"Nope."

"Then I guess we'll just have to fix that won't we?" He said, throwing me a killer smirk.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked intrigued.

"Do you have any art supplies around here?" He asked standing up. He looked around, furrowing his brow when I'm pretty sure he realized there were no supplies down here.

"I have some up in my room. I may need some help bringing it down here." I said, walking towards the stairs.

"Is this just some ploy to get me in your Bedroom?" He smirked, quirking an eyebrow at the same time. I blushed furiously, and then tripped, catching myself on the banister. "I think you made your point clear in that you will probably need help carrying it down." He laughed, walking over to help me up the stairs.

He grabbed my hand, steadying me on my clumsy feet, but then he didn't let go as we walked up the stairs. Once we were at the top, I cleared my throat and he awkwardly let go of my hand.

"My room is over here." I said, walking through the door on the left. I walked over to my closet and pulled out a large box. "This is it." He walked over and inspected the contents.

"Whoa… it's like a mini craft store in here." He commented.

"My dad would always have art supplies ready for when I would visit in the summers. I don't think he realized I grew out of coloring and finger painting back in kindergarten." I laughed, fingering some of the crayons rolling around lovingly. "I saved all the supplies; you never know when you might need them."

"True, I'll just take the whole box downstairs then." He said giving me an odd look then lifting the box effortlessly and making his way down my stairs. I followed behind him, making sure I held the rail; I wouldn't want to push him down the stairs.

"What was that look for?" I asked as we reached the last step.

"What look?" He asked, placing the box on the coffee table and pulling colored pencils and scissors out of it.

"Right after I explained the box, you had this look on your face… I can't explain it." I said uncomfortably. Was it weird to have this many art supplies? I didn't think so…

"Oh… It just amazed me I guess. You told the story with such emotion, and looked at the objects with such tenderness... The supplies must really mean a lot to you." He said, awkwardly.

"It's not the supplies that brought forth the emotion, it's what they represent. It's small things like this that show that my dad cares about me." I said quietly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, seeming interested.

"Well, we're not exactly the feelings type of family. He and I don't really do the normal hug and kiss every other dad and child do. It goes unsaid that we love each other. But when he does stuff like this, buying me art supplies so I'm not bored to death, or putting snow chains on my tires so that my truck is safer, it means so much more to me that anyone else, because it's his way of showing me that he cares." I explained, looking up from under my lashes to see Edward looking at me intently. "What? What did I say?"

"Isabella Swan… you…you amaze me. Are you sure you're only 17?" He asked, completely seriously.

"Yes." I blushed.

"No other 17 year old would care so much about the little things as you do. It's humbling to be in your company, someone so compassionate…" He said, smirking and shaking his head, as if to clear it.

"Thanks, I guess…" I said, blushing even more.

"There all done." He said, not even a minute passing by.

"Wha… How did you fix it so fast?" I asked. My part of the project was instantly more eye catching and structured, looking more like his.

"It was easy, I just adjusted this part of the plant, cut a little bit from here, then added a little bit of color to the edges. I just added to what you had created Bella, it was really nothing." He explained.

"Wow… It looks a lot better, thanks." I said smiling, resuming the work that he had come over for in the first place.

It had been surprisingly pleasant to have him here, not nearly as awkward as I imagined it would be. I didn't think I would feel this comfortable around him after all the dreams I had been having, but I felt really at ease around Edward. He and I worked chatting comfortably for another hour, finally finishing the project.

"So I'll see you at school tomorrow." I said, walking him to the front door.

"I was wondering, that is if it would be okay with you, would you like a ride to school tomorrow?" He asked, looking conflicted and hopeful all at once.

"Um… well I have a truck…" I said, too stunned to give an answer. My inner Bella was kicking herself, yelling at me to say yes.

"I know, I just wanted to ask." He said, seeming disappointed as he turned to walk to his car. I had an internal struggle, I wanted to call out to him and say yes, but I was still fearful of him.

"Wait...!" I called without thinking. He turned to look at me, hopeful again. "Why did you want to ask?"

"You fascinate me Bella, I'd really like to understand you better, and you're very hard for me to read." He said. Not exactly the romantic explanation I was looking for. I was hoping for something more along the lines of 'I can't stand being away from you' or 'your company is so intoxicating, I can't get enough', not 'you're hard to read'.

"Oh…" I said, disappointed.

"I'm taking it that is not what you wanted to hear." He said, thinking. "I should warn you Bella, you should stay away from me. _I _may not be able to stay away from you, but _you_ still have a choice. I'm dangerous Bella, remember that." He said, climbing into his Volvo and driving away.

_What just happened here?_ He left me thoroughly confused with his warning_. 'I may not be able to stay away from you, but _you_ still have a choice. I'm dangerous Bella, remember that'. _What did that mean?

I walked back into my house and started to make dinner for Charlie. I was in the middle of making tacos when a thought hit me… Was Edward Cullen picking me up for school tomorrow? I remember awkwardly telling him I had a truck, and he walked away, but then I stopped him…maybe he would take it as a yes to his offer. _Oh god…_ _Was Edward Cullen picking me up for school tomorrow?_

**Read and Review Please?**

**Anyone who Reviews this story will receive a sneak peak into the next chapter (it might take a few days to write and send) , as well as an honorable mention in the authors note of the next chapter :) And a photobucket account has been set up for this story if your interested in seeing any pictures of what I'm describing, just go to the link on my profile page :)**


	6. Intentions

**I'm so revved up right now! I just saw my best friend open for Attack Attack (and I met the band) and it was amazing ****So sorry for the late posts, my dad just had surgery so it's crazy hectic…**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, _klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Addiekatm, parkerstwilight, Manna1, edwardbella92, animal8

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

"Bells, why is Edward Cullen in front of the house?" Charlie asked, peeking out through the curtains, cup of coffee in hand. I spluttered my orange juice across the table as I leaped gracelessly from my chair to peek as well. Sure enough, the Adonis himself was leaning against his shiny silver Volvo, and it looked like he was waiting for me.

"Uh… I don't know. I'm, uh, going to go now." I stuttered, my heart beating wildly at the prospect of riding to school with Edward Cullen. I quickly put my dishes in the sink, grabbed my back pack and ran out the door before Charlie could question me further. I walked briskly towards Edward, mildly glaring at him as I did.

"Hurry up, get in the car, get in the car!" I hissed, knowing full well Charlie was watching. Instead, Edward casually strode over to the passenger door, opened it, and waited for me to get in.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm opening the door for you Bella." He said smirking.

"I know what you're doing, but why are you doing it?" I asked sliding in, then waiting for him to walk around and get in himself.

"Because what kind of boy would I be if I didn't open the door for a man's daughter, especially when said man is watching?" He said, looking too innocent at me.

"You knew Charlie was watching!"

"Yes, I did. Is that a problem?" He asked, furrowing his brows.

"You're not the one that has to go home and endure the firing squad." I mumbled.

"If I'm not mistaken, we Cullen kids are known for being good, upstanding teenagers. Why would your father have a problem with me picking you up?" He asked genuinely confused.

"Wow, conceited much? And it's not who picked me up, it's the fact that it's a boy that I haven't even mentioned to him yet." I tried to explain.

"You haven't talked to your father about me?" He asked, and I thought that I could hear a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Well, no. There's nothing to say really. Charlie and I don't really talk about this kind of stuff. As long as I tell him the big things, then there's really nothing to mention."

"So I'm not a 'big thing'?" He asked, looking to me with an amused expression. "I guess I'm going to have to change that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, surprised that we had already pulled into the school parking lot.

"You'll see." He said, smirking at me and getting out of his car. He began to walk around to my side, so I quickly tried to open my door first before he had a chance to open it for me, but he was too fast and locked the doors with his clicker. I waited patiently for him to open it himself, and got out quickly, hoping no one noticed. Wrong! Everyone was staring at us.

"Um, Edward… everyone is staring." I said shakily.

"Let them. If this is going to be a regular occurrence, then let them." He said.

"You picking me up is going to be a regular thing?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"Like I said, I want to be a 'big thing'." He said, looking intently into my eyes. My voice was caught in my throat, not allowing me to say anything. I stood frozen, staring into the depths of his eyes, unable to look away. "Breathe Bella." He whispered, smirking at the end.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I took a deep breath and exhaled, and blushed as I just registered what he said.

"Whoa… I'm a…I'm going to be late for class." I said, trying to move around him. I shuddered slightly from the cool wind and realized I forgot my jacket in my haste to get out my front door.

"Wait, Bella! Where's your jacket?" Edward asked, looking worried.

"I must have forgotten it at home." I said. "It's okay; it's not that cold anyway."

"Are you crazy? It's probably 60 degrees out here," he scolded me. "Here, take mine." He said, shrugging out of his jacket. He handed it to me and I took it gratefully.

"Won't you be cold?" I asked.

"I like the cold, besides I have a sweater on, you don't."

"Thanks." I said. "Well I better get to class, don't want to be late." I said, rushing towards the building.

**_...later that day..._**

"Oh Bella, what have you done to my poor brother?" Alice giggled.

We both watched as he loaded a tray with far too much food than he would be able to eat.

"What is he doing?" I asked, sipping at my lemonade.

"Buying lunch silly." She said, rolling her eyes.

"He's going to eat all of that? Wow…" I breathed, thinking it was humanly impossible for someone to eat that much food.

"Half is for you." She said, smirking at me. _Does that smirk run in the family or something?_

"What? Why?" I asked.

"I don't know, why don't you start telling me what you've done to him. He's been different since last night." She said.

"I didn't do anything." I said.

"What didn't you do?" I heard Edward ask as he sat next to me. He never sat with his family anymore, until yesterday when he sat here. Now here he was again, sitting with his family and I at lunch. Everyone was staring, while his family member seemed like they could care less. Besides, it was only Alice and occasionally Emmett that really paid attention to me here. Jasper would sometimes speak, and Rosalie never did. I stopped my internal conversation, and turned to Edward to answer him.

"Nothing." I said, flushing slightly.

"Here, I bought you some lunch since I noticed you didn't have any today. I didn't know what you would like, so I bought one of everything." He said, pushing the tray over.

"Thanks." I said reaching for the pizza. "Pizza's good."

"Back to our conversation Bella," Alice began, and I blushed even more, willing her to stop her conversation. "What have you done to our poor Edward here?"

"Like I said: nothing. He's exactly the same, ask him." I said embarrassed.

"On the contrary, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I never wish to be parted from you from this day on." He said in mock seriousness.

"Oh please, quoting Darcy, how original. You're both making fun of me." I said.

"You knew that?" Edward asked shocked.

"Yes, English literature is my favorite for a reason. Please tell your sister that you're the same, she won't stop harassing me."

"Honestly, I can't believe you two can't see it!" Alice said exasperated. "Come on Jasper, let's leave these two alone." She said, getting up and walking out of the cafeteria, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett in tow.

"See what?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Alice likes to believe that she knows the future, too bad the future always changes." He said morosely. "She is right on one count though… You have changed me."

"Changed you how?" I asked.

"I don't know yet… All I know is that I can't seem to stay away." He said.

"There's that phrase again, 'stay away'. Why do you have to stay away from me? Am I a bad influence or something?" I asked.

"I would be the bad influence on you Bella." He said warningly.

"If I may quote a comment you made earlier, you're known for being a good, upstanding teenager, so why would you be a bad influence?"

"Just trust me; I may not always have the best intentions in mind." He said, standing and picking up the tray. "Finished? The bell is about to ring." And just as he finished speaking, the bell rang.

"I guess I am." I said, getting up as well.

We walked silently towards Biology, the tension thick in the air. Finally I had to cut it.

"Edward…just so you know… I think I'm past caring what sort of intentions you have." I whispered as we reached the door, and walked quickly to my seat. Looking up at him shyly, I could make out a faint trace of a smile playing on his lips.

"Well if that's the case Bella, you're in for quite a ride." He whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

**Read and Review Please?**

**Anyone who Reviews this story will receive a sneak peak into the next chapter (it might take a few days to write and send) , as well as an honorable mention in the authors note of the next chapter :) And a photobucket account has been set up for this story if your interested in seeing any pictures of what I'm describing, just go to the link on my profile page :)**


	7. Morning Sunshine

**Hey guys, sorry for the late delay but I've been in San Diego lately and haven't been to a computer. SO here's the scoop, I just got a new job and my identity was stolen so I've been really tied up lately. So unfortunately my stories are on hold until I can get everything sorted out :( ****I'm really sad too, so don't worry, I will be back. Just give me a few weeks to a month to figure out all this mess and then I'll be back! I promise.**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, _klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Addiekatm, parkerstwilight, Manna1, edwardbella92, FYInichole, alexza, Sorrows-Litany, RogueRaina

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

**So this is just what I've had finished, I'm sorry its so short. I wont keep my stories on hold for too long :)**

**BPOV**

Edward Cullen continued to pick me up for school for the rest of the week. The morning always starting the same… with me rushing past Charlie, pop tart in hand, and quickly getting into Edward's Volvo. Of course I couldn't avoid the barrage of questions once I got home, but I just kept telling Charlie it was nothing, we were just friends. It was true, we were only friends, but oh how I wished some days that we were more. It may have helped justify the looks people would give us or the questions people would ask me. It was beginning to wear on me the questions of my personal life.

Finally Saturday had arrived and I would have a break from the gossip and the stares. I snuggled deeper into the blankets on my bed, smiling to myself at the idea of sleeping in. Charlie was away on a fishing trip for the next 2 days, so I had the house to myself. My weekend plans consisted of staying in, reading a new book I bought at a used bookstore, and just relaxing.

I closed my eyes, readying myself to fall back asleep when I was awoken by the door bell. I groaned, not wanting to get out of the warm comfort of my bed. I lazily sat up, shivering as the blankets fell from me and revealed my tank and shorts I wore to bed. I quickly grabbed my robe that was on the rocking chair in the corner and made my way to the front door.

"Who on earth is visiting this early!" I mumbled, unlocking the bolt and swinging the door open. I gasped when I realized who it was.

"Good morn-…It's freezing Bella!" He chastised me. "And you open the door to the cold wind and you're not even wearing socks." He said, seeming irritated.

"Good morning to you too sunshine." I said flatly, also irritated that he was scolding me and had yet to explain why he was on my porch. I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to speak.

"May I come in before you catch a cold?" He asked, moving to come in.

"Charlie's not here…" I said, still not moving out of the way.

"I noticed. I promise I'm not here to steal your virtue Bella." He said, smirking and walking past me into the kitchen. I blushed furiously and closed the door before following him in to the kitchen.

"So what's with the visit?" I asked, fixing myself a bowl of cereal. "Do you want some?" I asked offering the cheerio box.

"No thanks," He smiled. "I was actually here to see what your plans are for today.

"Well, I was planning on sleeping in, but that's moot. And now I plan to eat this cereal, read a new book I bought, and then relax." I said honestly.

"Hmm, it sounds eventful." He said chuckling.

"Oh, it is." I joked. "It's been a long week, I'd like to recoup before it starts all over again."

"Ah… I see. Well, how would you like to still read your book, but how about in a different setting?"

"What type of setting?" I asked.

"I found a hidden meadow as I was hiking the other day, and I was hoping to take you there, that is if you want to go. You could still read, and I could work on home work or something." He offered eagerly.

"So you want to take me to a meadow?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Does it require hiking?"

"Some." He said vaguely.

"What is 'some'?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Maybe a mile… or two." He said sheepishly.

"You do realize I can barely walk on a flat surface, and you want me to hike?" I said, munching on my cereal.

"It's not rough terrain Bella; I have faith that you can do it." He laughed.

"Making fun of me will get you nowhere Cullen." I muttered, blushing slightly.

"I wasn't making fun of you; I sincerely think you can do this."

"And the meadow is worth the bodily harm I might inflict upon myself or you?" I asked.

"I won't let you fall Bella, I promise. And yes, the meadow is worth it. Just trust me will you?" He asked.

"Okay, I'll go. Just let me go and change." I said, walking towards the stairs. "You can make yourself at home."

**Please read and review, and if you do, then I'll send you a sneak peak into the next chapter :)**


	8. Anxious EPOV

**Thank you to all who have stuck with me and this story so far. Alot has changed in my life, all for the better tahnkfully, and now that I'm starting to get used to all of it, I will start posting again. It will still be slow, but at least there will be posts. Thank you all so much. Hope you like this EPOV I wrote for you. It's short, but it's something. **

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, _klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Addiekatm, parkerstwilight, Manna1, edwardbella92, FYInichole, alexza, Sorrows-Litany, RogueRaina, passion82, Nyx Nuit

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**** Full credit goes to the genius that is **_**pumpkinmykitty**_** for her line "****"Come and see my meadow" is becoming this decades equivalent to "Do you want to see my etchings."" **

"Come and see my meadow" is becoming this decades equivalent to "Do you want to see my etchings."

**EPOV**

I was anxious as I stood on her front porch early this Saturday morning. It had only been a couple of hours since I snuck out of her room last night from watching her sleep, but my body was already so tightly wound from being away from her. How could one human girl do this to me? It's like I was a teenager. Well…technically I was, but the point is still the same. I waited patiently, smiling to myself as I could hear her protest at the doorbell. She was still tired, likely from the restless night I witnessed she had. Oh well, I didn't have something too tiring for her today.

My heart swelled at the idea of taking her to my meadow, the only place that gave me solace in these in Forks. It was the perfect complement to her innocent and beautiful features. I couldn't wait to see her beauty with that type of setting. I could hear her fumbling down the stairs, obviously still trying to wake up. I straightened quickly, trying to appear the perfect gentleman. I knew Charlie was gone and I wouldn't want her to get the wrong impression of me. I took a deep breath as I heard her open the door, steeling myself for her scent.

That wicked, magnificent, sinful smell. It was almost the cause of her death her first day of school. I still had to control myself around her, some moments almost unbearable. But Alice assured me that if I was smart about today, there would be no such 'accidents'.

"Good morn-…It's freezing Bella!" I said, stopping myself short as the door opened fully, and I was instantly disturbed at what I saw. She was standing there, in nothing but a light robe and her bed clothes. "And you open the door to the cold wind and you're not even wearing socks!"

It was freezing outside and this fragile creature chose to wear close to nothing? Did she care so little for her health that she would risk pneumonia?

"Good morning to you too sunshine." She said flatly, raising an eyebrow at me. She stood there as if I had irritated her, waiting for me to finish. I was slightly apologetic, but I needed to get her out of this cold air and inside.

"May I come in before you catch a cold?" I asked, hoping she would say yes. I hadn't planned on entering while Charlie was gone, but I would do whatever it would take to get her inside where it was warm.

"Charlie's not here…" She said, still not moving out of the way. At least I knew she was responsible enough not to let anyone in the house.

"I noticed. I promise I'm not here to steal your virtue Bella." I said, smirking and walking past her into the kitchen. This was not the best idea, but at least it got her inside. I casually sat at her table, waiting to see what she would do. She seemed unaffected, and it made me wonder if this happened to her a lot back in Phoenix.

"So what's with the visit?" She asked, fixing herself a bowl of cereal. "Do you want some?" She offered the box of the foul scented cereal, and I declined.

"No thanks," I smiled, trying to hide my grimace. It smelled even worse once drenched in milk.

"I was actually here to see what your plans are for today." I spilled out, deciding just to ask her, the possibility of rejection be damned.

She began to tell me of her wishes to lay about the house all day, the biggest event being to read her new book. I could work with that, the picture of Bella in my meadow reading her book… Hmm, my head possibly resting on her lap as one of her delicate hands combed through my tousled hair; and I, looking up in to her beautiful face as she concentrates on the words she is reading… I could definitely work with that.

"Ah… I see. Well, how would you like to still read your book, but how about in a different setting?" I asked, eager for my fantasy to come to life. This girl was quickly turning my life upside down. "I found a hidden meadow as I was hiking the other day, and I was hoping to take you there, that is if you want to go. You could still read, and I could work on home work or something."

I internally cringed at how tortured-artist-in-love-with-his-muse I sounded. _'Come and see my meadow'_ might as well have been _'Do you want to see my etchings'_. I prayed she didn't see how desperate I really was.

After some convincing and teasing, she finally had agreed to go with me, and I had an internal party for the invitation to make myself at home. Hmm… what could I do? I'd be rude if I didn't make myself at home, wouldn't I?

I walked into her living room, smiling at the various grade school photographs of her sitting about. My favorite had to be her 1st grade photo, so small and fragile in a fluffy pink dress, with the most innocent smile on her face.

"That's the worst picture I think I've ever taken." She muttered, looking over my shoulder. I turned to her with a witty comeback to her response, but was rendered speechless at the sight before me.

Isabella Swan wanted to kill me; or rather, wanted _me_ to kill _her_. That was the only way to explain what I saw...

**_DUN DUN DUN... I love cliffys :)_**

**Please read and review. Full credit goes to pumpkinmykitty for her line ""Come and see my meadow" is becoming this decades equivalent to "Do you want to see my etchings.""**


	9. Meadow

**Thank you to all who have stuck with me and this story so far. Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, _klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Addiekatm, parkerstwilight, Manna1, edwardbella92, FYInichole, alexza, Sorrows-Litany, RogueRaina, passion82, Nyx Nuit, Feelo Ivashkov, moon shadow 31, loveyoumore18

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

(EPOV)- "That's the worst picture I think I've ever taken." She muttered, looking over my shoulder. I turned to her with a witty comeback to her response, but was rendered speechless at the sight before me.

Isabella Swan wanted to kill me; or rather, wanted _me_ to kill _her_. That was the only way to explain what I saw...

**BPOV**

I walked down the stairs to my living room, dressed and ready to go to the meadow he had wanted to show me. I caught Edward looking at my old grade school photos, and I internally cringed, hoping he wasn't looking at the one where I wore that ridiculous pink fluffy dress.

I peaked over this shoulder, and sure enough, that was the one he was looking at.

"That's the worst picture I think I've ever taken." I said. I stepped back to allow him space to turn around and to give me the joke I knew he had, when he just…stopped. We both just stood there, staring at each other. I was awkwardly fidgeting, wondering why he was looking at me so intensely.

He looked as though I was something to eat, and it only made me blush furiously. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and walked towards the closet to grab my coat.

"Am I dressed okay, or should I go change?" I asked awkwardly, wondering if it was the outfit I had chosen that made him stare at me in that way.

"You're dressed exquisitely; it's the setting I'm worried about." His strained voice spoke.

"Exquisitely? Who even still speaks like that?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood as I shrugged my never worn burgundy pea coat on. I knew my mother's 'good luck in Forks' present would come in handy one day.

"Apparently I do. " He mumbled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just teasing." I apologized, giving him a small smile as I walked out the front door, Edward walking closely behind me. "But really, am I over dressed?"

He looked me over, head to foot, tapping his chin with his index finger as if he were thinking.

"Fine, I'll go change." I said, frustrated and turning to go back into the house. He grabbed my hand, squeezing it with his ice cold hands, sending chills up my spine. His fingers rubbed my knuckles and I looked up to his face. He smiled gently at me as he spoke.

"Really, Bella. You're stunning. You didn't strike me as the type of girl who really worried about this sort of thing. Let's go. " He said, pulling me towards his shiny silver Volvo.

"Neither did I." I whispered. He was right, I wasn't the type of girl who let clothes or boys mess with her head. But then again, Edward Cullen wasn't just any boy. He was a god; Adonis himself.

I carefully sat in the passenger seat, waiting as Edward closed my door and gracefully walked around to the driver side. I smoothed my skirt out, quite happy that I was able to find something in my closet that remotely resembled something that would be first date appropriate.

I chose a short grey pleated skirt my mom had purchased for me a long time ago, in hopes that I would wear it in the Arizona summers. Paired with black tights and ballet flats to match, I kept with the dark tones and wore a black v-neck sweater, with a simple sapphire pendant necklace that belonged to my grandmother. In all reality, it was a very simple casual outfit, but Edward made it seem as if I was clad in a garter belt and corset by the look he gave me in my living room.

I shook my head, clearing it off my thoughts.

The drive was tense, the lack of conversation stifling. I could see his knuckles taught over the wheel, and I wondered what put him so on edge. Was it me? Could I really have this type of effect on him?

He finally parked the car after a short drive, and my faced paled as I took in our surroundings.

"You…you want me to hike? You do realize this will most likely result in my death right?" I joked, nervous about the terrain. His eyes darkened at my comment, but he turned away before I could say anything else.

"That did cross my mind once or twice..." He muttered. "Here, take my arm. We'll walk slowly. "He said, extending his forearm.

"Thanks." I mumbled, beginning our journey through the forest.

We hardly talked as we walked through the woods, sometimes a comment about the trees or the lack of rain would emerge, but that was all.

"This, uh, moss is really...nice." I said awkwardly. I was having a hard enough time not slipping on the moss, butt o have to hold up the conversation too was wearing on my multi tasking skills.

"It does seem quite lush today." Edward chuckled. "We're almost there, I can see it. "

"Where, I don't see a thing?" I said, squinting.

"Right…there!" He said pointing at a small sliver of color. "See that purple? That's where we're going."

"What is that?" I asked, seeing color the closer we walked.

"Wild flowers." He said simply, giving me that award winning Edward Cullen smile.

"They're so pretty…" I whispered, now seeing the meadow in its entirety.

"I thought you would like it." He said, walking to the center and plopping down, resting his head on his arm as he lounged on his back.

I stood there in awe, slowly turning so that I could take in the whole view. I walked over and sat down beside him, still looking about me.

"This place is amazing, thank you." I said, smiling down at him.

"You're welcome."

" Do you mind if I ask you a question?" I asked, twirling a wildflower in between my fingers.

"Okay…?" He said hesitantly.

"The first day I came to school… why did you look at me the way you did?" I asked, holding my breath for the answer.

"I don't know what you mean." He said, stiffening.

"You… you glared at me, like you hated me. Why? I mean, you're nothing like that now, I was just curious."

Edward sat up, looking at me with that same intense look from earlier, as if searching my soul for something. After a few moments, we looked away and sighed.

"I didn't hate you. I…I wasn't happy, but I never hated you." He said.

"You want to know something weird? The reason I fainted, I don't really know why, but all I remember is this feeling of hunger, so desperate for something that I could have killed for it. It was weird, but it was as if I was possessed by something purely evil; it was a senses overload and I just fainted. Weird, huh?" I said absently, glad to finally have told someone what really happened. I looked up, thinking I'd see him looking at me like a crazy person, but instead found him looking at me in a pained, strained way. "What's wrong?"

"Bella…" He croaked out, then jumping up and pacing the meadow. "I...I can't do this. Why did you have to be so…so…amazing? If only you could have been like the others, spineless, brainless, shallow. "

"Edward, I'm not following. What are you talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"What you felt, how I looked at you. Oh god…" He said, his fists clenching.

"Calm down, come sit down again, please?" I asked him, afraid he was losing it. What had I said? What was he saying?

"I can't Bella, I can't. I thought that I could, but I can't. This was a mistake. Jasper was right, it was too soon." He muttered, still pacing the meadow.

I finally stood, and attempted to walk over to him. I held my hands up, almost like I was approaching a woodland animal. "Edward, talk to me. What happened? We were fine a second ago." I said.

"Stop! Don't come any closer; I don't know if I can handle it." He said. When did his eyes become so black?

"What can't you handle?" I asked, walking closer, despite his protests.

"Your scent." He said, before standing perfectly still, looking behind me. I turned, utterly surprised to see Alice.

"Alice? What are you doing here, what's going on?" I asked, becoming too confused to handle the situation anymore.

"Bella, come here please. I think we need to give Edward a little breathing space." She said gently, waving me over. I walked over hesitantly, not wanting to walk away from Edward.

"What's going on, what happened?" I asked her, maybe she would tell me he's crazy or skipped his meds this morning.

"Alice, NO!" Edward roared.

"Bella, there's no easy way to tell you this, but… Edward can't be near you right now because of your blood. We're Vampires, and you're blood is like heroin to him." She blurted.

My world started to spin, and I could see the wildflowers mixing with the sky. I could barely feel the cold spreading through my arms and something hard and frozen gripped my arms.

"I think she's going into shock." I singsong voice said.

"Well you didn't have to blurt it out like that!" _He _growled.

"It's like ripping off a band aid. Come on, we should take her back to the house, we can explain it all when she wakes up."

"This is my entire fault." Edward murmured. That was the last thing I heard before I went into the darkness.

**Bet none of you expected it to go down like that, did ya?**

**Hope you're intrigued enough to come back, please read and review!**


	10. Revelations

**I am very sorry for the long wait, I hope this was worth it. I am truly sorry, but these past couple of months have been a nightmare. I went through an amazing and romantic New Years just to suffer through a ridiculously agonizing break up 3 weeks later. Needless to say, had I updated then, it would have been a very bitter and bloody outcome ;)**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_**pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, **_**klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, ****Passion82, ****Camilla10****, ****Alanna-Banana1987****, isabella0106, ****MouseKitty****, ****Feelo Ivashkov****, ****moon shadow 31**

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

_This is my entire fault._ The words he spoke spiraling in my head, fuzzy and a blur, not making sense. My eyes fluttered open, taking in my surroundings. _This isn't my room._ I slowly sat up, touching my throbbing head. _God, this headache hurt!_ Where was I and what the hell happened?

I tried to recollect my thoughts, mentally retracing what happened. Well, I was in a meadow with Edward, and he started freaking out, then Alice showed up and I fainted. Why did I faint? Oh god… _We're Vampires, and you're blood is like heroin to him._ Yep, I believe that's what it was. I felt nauseous just thinking about it.

Where the hell was I? I looked around, taking in the room. I was on a chaise, a white one, and there was no bed in here. Weird for a bed room if you ask me. I looked to the wall, and hundreds, if not thousands of cds lined the wall in a built in book shelf. Hmm…not bad. I noticed there were two escape options here… One, the door that probably led to the blood drinking Cullen's; or two, the window that probably led to a broken leg.

I sat there considering the possibility of jumping and not harming my body, when I heard a knock at the door.

"Bella, I highly recommend not jumping. You were right about possibly breaking a leg, and probably an arm too. We're downstairs when you're ready to talk." Alice spoke from the other side_. Did she read my mind or something?_

I sat there for a few more moments, debating whether to take her word for it. Finally deciding I would rather face death in the form of Edward Cullen, I chose to go downstairs. I hesitantly walked to the door, expecting to see at least one member of the Cullen family waiting for me on the other side. There was no surprise, so I continued walking to the stairs, not sure if this was the way to the living room. Well, she did say downstairs, so it must be.

As I reached the bottom of the steps, I could see the entire Cullen family sitting on impeccable white couches, all staring at me. It was nerve wracking to say the least. I decided to stay where I was, at the base of the stairs, and sat on the last step facing them all.

"Would someone like to explain to me what's going on?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"Bella, I know you may have many questions…" Carlisle began.

"Like hell I do!" I growled. _Whoa… did I actually just growl? _Yep, I think I did.

"And we will try our best to explain everything to you dear." A very pretty woman told me gently. She was at the most, 30, with caramel colored hair and a sweet face. I guessed she was Esme, Edward's mother. "Ask us anything." She smiled.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked, sucking in a breath. Might as well address the pink elephant in the room.

"If we were going to kill you'd be dead already." Rosalie spat.

"Then why am I here?" I asked quietly, avoiding Edwards gaze.

"You know too much." Was Jaspers cool and calculated reply.

"So what are my options here?" I asked, not seeing where any of this was going. I still refused to believe that they were serious about being vampires, but I also felt that there was something here that I should be deathly afraid of. It all felt like some sick and twisted Twilight Zone episode.

"What do you mean Bella?" Esme asked.

"I'm trying to think realistically here. If I 'know too much', as Jasper states, then there are only a couple options. A: You kill me. Or B: You kidnap me to keep me quiet. At some point, I become too much of a liability, and I die anyway. So what's it gonna be? Honestly, I don't even know what I know too much of! I refuse to believe you're Vampires, so you must al be nut jobs." I said, banging my forehead on the banister in frustration.

"We're not crazy, and those are not your only options." Alice said. "Look Bella, I know this is a lot for you right now, but we can move past this, I've seen it! You will believe us, and you will see that we're not as bad as you think we are. You can trust us, and you will. You just have to give us a chance to explain."

"How can you know this? I don't even know it." I asked.

"Because that's what I do, I can see the future!" She beamed.

"The future? Are you sure you're not nuts?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… I used to be when I was human, but turns out I'm just a really gifted Vampire."

"I don't think that helped her believe you much Darlin'." Jasper whispered, probably seeing the look of disbelief on my face.

"How about this… I can tell you what the lottery numbers will be right now. Emmett… Turn on the TV." Alice said, facing me as the Television turns on. "The winning numbers are 18, 24, 37, 11, 16, and 2. Now watch the screen Bella."

I turned my attention to the screen, waiting to see entirely different numbers light up the TV. When the numbers Alice had predicted began to roll out of the machine, I knew that my life was about to change.

"Oh… My … God…" I said, my hands flying up to cover my mouth. I was in a total state of disbelief. This could not be true, none of this could be. "There's no way…"

"Yes, it's true. This will seem a lot more normal the more you try to accept it Bella. Just keep an open mind." Alice said, just as my phone began to ring. "It's your father. Answer it and tell him that you're staying with us tonight for a sleepover." She said, handing me the phone.

I reached for it, debating whether to scream for help the minute I answered. Just as I was about to press _Answer,_ a white hand shot out to grab my hand.

"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." Alice said slowly. "It will just freak him out. You're safe here Bella, we won't hurt you." Then she let go and watched as I took the call.

"Hey dad…. Yea, I'm fine…. … No, I'm at the Cullen's…. Yea, Alice Cullen invited me over for a sleep over and I said yes…. Okay… I don't know how long… Okay, see you. Bye… Wait, Dad?... I love you…. Okay, bye." I hung up the phone, placing it back in Alice's out stretched hand.

"So… so are you really Vampires?" I asked after taking a deep breath, looking at the floor.

"Yes… We are." Carlisle Cullen answered.

"So then why do you keep saying I'm safe. Wouldn't that make me Dinner?" I asked, confused.

"You're right in assuming that we Drink blood to stay alive, but you're wrong when you think that we kill humans for it. We call ourselves Vegetarians. We only drink animal blood. We don't need human blood to stay alive. We do not kill." Carlisle explained.

"But don't assume that we are not dangerous. We still thirst for human blood, but we can choose not to drink it. But just for safety reasons, let's try avoiding paper cuts and scrapes Bella." Alice said.

"Point taken. So you don't want to drink my blood? I'm safe?"

"As safe as you can be in a house full of vampires." Emmett joked. I looked to Edward, hoping to see some kind of emotion looking back at me, but he was just scowling at the floor.

"What about the sun, why don't you go in the sun?" I asked.

"The sun does us no harm, but it would definitely spark interest from others. We tend to… shimmer, you could say, in the sun. It looks like a million little diamonds on our skin." Esme said, smiling kindly at me.

"So you sparkle?"

"Faeries sparkle. I am not a faerie, thus, I do not sparkle. I like to think of it as a glow." Emmett said, slightly offended at my word choice.

"Whatever… And garlic?"

"It smells." Alice laughed. "And wooden stakes are best left to Buffy."

"What about crosses?" I asked, wondering if they had any sort of weakness.

"They look like an oversized 'T'. Nothing affects us." Rosalie said, nose in the air.

"And you Edward? Do you have anything to add here?" I asked, finally addressing him. The morning had begun with us in a beautiful field, and now here we were, barely looking at each other. "Do you want to say anything to me?" I needed him to say something, anything, to let me know what was in his head. Did he feel so non-chalant as the rest of this family did, or did he really want me dead?

"What would you have me say Bella?" He asked, sounding tired and resigned.

"Anything. What happened earlier in the Meadow, with Alice, and why didn't you tell me before? Or better yet, why did you force yourself into my life?" I asked, wanting to know why he so adamantly pursued me if this was the result.

"I warned you to stay away." He whispered.

"How could I stay away when you hooked me like a fish and then reeled me in? You had me at hello Edward." I blurted.

"It was never my intention to hurt you."

"Then what was your intention?"

"To know you. To understand you. You are the first person in 100 years to peak my curiosity. I needed to know you." He explained.

"And when I fainted in Biology, was that you in my head? All those feelings and images, was it you?" I asked, holding my breath.

"Yes." He said, his face showing how painful it was to admit.

"You… You wanted to kill me? Why?" I asked, barely aware that his family was watching this like some sort of Oprah special.

"Because your scent is intoxicating, it's nothing like I have ever encountered before. You're scent calls to me Bella. It sings, almost. It's like placing the words best drugs in front of an addict." He tried to explain.

"But I though you don't drink human blood?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"We don't… I don't. But not all blood smells as yours does to me. It's as if your blood was specifically designed to break my will." He admitted, sounding so broken. His eyes looked so tortured.

"This is a lot to take in… Do you mind if I just take a few hours to myself, and rest?" I asked standing again. I needed air, and some space from all of this.

"Yes dear, it is certainly understandable. Alice, please show her the quest room?" Esme offered.

"Actually, can I speak to Edward alone for a few minutes?" I asked.

"Of course, Edward?" Esme said, pushing him towards me. "We'll be down here."

Edward came and led me up the stairs, every once in a while turning to check that I was still here. Instead of leading me to the guest room, he led me to the room I woke up in.

"This is my room, you can stay here if you want. There's music on that wall, and a balcony if you need air." He motioned to the room, still looking anywhere but at me.

I stood there, not sure why I asked to speak to him in the first place. I just really wanted to be alone with him, even in silence. I walked over to the large daybed, which was a cross between a sofa and a bed, perfect to lounge on. I sat, noticing how my feet didn't reach the floor. Slowly I scooted up to the side of the bed and layed down. I stared at him as he continued to stare out the window.

"Edward…?" I asked, waiting for him to look at me. He turned, and looked at me, not saying a word.

"I know what just happened down there, and everything that was said. But do you think… would it be okay of you could just lay here with me? I just… I don't want to be alone, and as weird and twisted as it is… I want your company… I need it." I said.

Without a work, Edward walked over to the day bed, picking up the blanket that was at the foot of the bed. He placed it over me tucking me in gently. He then gracefully sat on the lay on the bed in front of me, facing me, and searched for my hand. Without a word he held it, bringing it to his lips and gave my small hand a gentle kiss.

"I'll never hurt you Bella Swan… Never. You have my heart now, Bella. How could I ever hurt my heart?" He whispered, searching my eyes.

"Give me time Edward… give me time." I whispered, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"Always…" I heard Edward say as I fell into a dreamless sleep…

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	11. Morning After

**Yay, a new chapter! Sorry for the wait, major writers block then my monitor broke and I had to buy a new one, le lame. So I hope you lie the update, more to come soon. Also, check out my new story "His Soul To Take", it's one of my more crazy plot ideas :)**

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_**pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, **_**klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Passion82, Camilla10, Alanna-Banana1987, isabella0106, MouseKitty, Feelo Ivashkov, moon shadow 31, ****viau1****, ****juney83uk****, ****Vero Diaz****, ****thepinktabby****, ****GeminiEyes****, simon-cowell-like-judge, ****jadeEyre****, ****Ahleia****, ****Daniellexx****, ****xoxtinysingerxox****, ****Camilla10**

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

_"I'll never hurt you Bella Swan… Never. You have my heart now, Bella. How could I ever hurt my heart?" He whispered, searching my eyes._

_"Give me time Edward… give me time." I whispered, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep._

_"Always…" I heard Edward say as I fell into a dreamless sleep…_

"Is she awake?" I heard a gentle voice whisper, recognizing it as Esme's.

"Yep, she's just waking up…now." Alice answered as I opened my eyes to see Esme and Alice standing in the door way. "Good morning!" Alice chimed, bouncing in place.

"Um… good morning." I mumbled, looking warily from one to the other. "Where's Edward?"

"He's down stairs. We came up to give you some clothes and see if you needed anything." Alice answered.

"Oh, ok. Thanks…"

"The bathroom is through here Bella, and Alice stocked up on all of the things that she knew you'd need. I put some clothes for you on the counter. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask." Esme stated, walking towards the hallway. "Alice, are you coming?"

"Nope, I'll stay up here for a bit more." Alice smiled, waving at Esme as she closed Edwards door, then turned to me. "Is it okay if I stay?"

"Sure, but why?" I asked, stretching my arms then climbing out of the bed.

"Well…. Don't get mad okay? I was really hoping you'd let me do your hair and makeup today..." She trailed off, giving me an innocently sweet smile.

Incredulously, I stared at her. The Cullen's just dropped the bomb that they were Vampires yesterday, and Alice wants to play life-size Barbie?

"Really Alice, this isn't the perfect time for this." I stated.

"Of course it is. Pretty hair always makes things better." She argued.

I sat there, considering fighting her when I realized she likely already saw the outcome. "Can we just skip the argument and just tell me who wins?" I said tiredly.

"Yay! Me, I win. You're getting the hang of it Bella!" Alice winked at me and continued, "Come on, go brush your teeth and change, then I'll work my magic." She smiled brightly and shooed me away.

About an hour later we descended the stairs into the kitchen, towards the most heavenly smell I've ever encountered. We walked in to see Edward putting the finishing touches on what looked like Eggs Benedict and waffles on one of the place settings. I noticed more plates filled with food on the table and wondered if the Cullen's also ate Human food on the side.

"Mmm… smells amazing!" I said, momentarily forgetting how upset I was with Alice. Not only was the time we wasted to curl my hair, only to place it in a messy bun uncalled for, but then she took it to an entirely new level of pointlessness by putting me in a summer dress. It was Forks, where it always rained, and was always cold, and she makes me wear a _SUMMER DRESS!_ It was entirely futile if you asked me.

"Thank you, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made a bit of everything…" Edward said, motioning to the other plates. All of this food was for me? I guess I answered my own question on if the Cullen's ate Human food… Sure enough, I recognized an omelet, breakfast burrito, pancakes, crepes, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, 4 different types of cereal, bacon, ham, sausage, biscuits, gravy, French toast, and just about every way to cook an egg.

"Wow…. This is…just wow. Thank you Edward." I said, smiling at him. "I'd have been happy with a pop tart, but this looks amazing." I said, hesitantly sitting down in one of the chairs. How'd you learn to make this? I'm assuming you haven't had to cook in awhile." I said, taking a bite out of some pancakes.

"I stayed up watching cooking shows on YouTube. I hope it all tastes as it should." He said, this eyebrows furrowing slightly in worry.

"Are you kidding? It tastes as if Rachel Ray were here." I said, noting that I was chomping on the omelet like I hadn't ate in weeks. I cleared my throat, more self conscious of eating now that I noticed Alice and Edward were staring at me. "Um… are you guys going to stare at me this whole time, because it's a bit weird? What's wrong?"

Alice was the first to laugh, and just said I told you so to Edward as she danced out of the room. Edward slowly smiled his crooked smile, and then visibly relaxed into his seat.

"Nothing, obviously. I had been positively sure that you would be having a nervous breakdown or trying to escape, and Alice thought you'd take it like a champ. I guess she was right again." He laughed, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm still adjusting to the news, but at the risk of sounding like someone starved for half their life, this food is really amazing. My tummy is very happy and telling my brain that if you can cook this good, then I gotta stick around." I laughed.

"Well, I'm glad to have won over your stomach," then, leaning down to be eyelevel with my stomach, he said, "Thanks for being on my side", before standing and winking at me.

"What's this? Get her pregnant already Eddie?" His enormous brother Emmett said while walking into the kitchen. Edward visibly stiffened and glared at his brother, a slight growl coming from his lips.

"Shut it Emmett." He snapped, causing a shudder run up my spine from the threat laced in his voice. He sat down next to me on the table, still tense from irritation.

"Well, what is a guy supposed to think when he sees some one talking to someone else belly? Especially a Bella belly?" Emmett teased again. Edward groaned in response, dropping this forehead on the table.

"Emmett please don't say it… please?" Edward pleaded, his head still on the table.

"Say what?" I asked, completely confused.

"He was going to say that your new nickname is Bella Belly, and that Edward's the father of the baby." Alice sang, walking into the kitchen, Jasper in tow. I was mortified, his brother thought Edward and I had…had…had sex! I blushed furiously, and tried to stutter out a response.

"Uh…um… Edward and I did not… well you know… last night. It didn't happen." I said, shoving more pancakes into my mouth. The entire kitchen burst into laughter, except for the groaning coming from Edward, his face still buried in the table.

"Haha, not that type of baby, Belly Bella. A food baby. Edward cooked it, and you ate it, so it's a Food baby." Emmett explained, smiling smugly at me as if I had played right into his joke.

"Oh." I said, still turning a few shades of pink. Edward finally looked up, and apologetically shook his head.

"So for the sake of escaping my idiot brother, I was thinking that we could go back to the meadow on a picnic? I have it on very good authority that it will be sunny all day and I was hoping to show you something." He said, giving me that melt-right-here smile.

"O-ok… but is that really a good idea? I mean, we both saw what happened last time…" I said, looking at my plate as I pushed around some country-style potatoes.

"I promise you Bella, I will never hurt you. Actually, Alice and Jasper are coming along too." Edward said, nodding to Jasper, who carried a picnic basket that Alice must have packed.

"Sounds fun," I smiled, hoping that it didn't betray my ever present worry. "Will you show me what you look like in the sun then?"

"Yes, I though the Meadow will give us the privacy for that. Come on, lets go." Edward said, pulling my hand towards the back door that lead to the porch.

"Isn't your car in the front?" I asked, confused why we were walking towards the tree line.

"I was hoping that we can go the way I usually travel… what do you say?" He asked, a devilish smile playing at his lips.

"Well, how do you usually travel?" I asked, still skeptical.

"We run… quite fast actually."

"So, then would you carry me, or how does this work?" I asked, my cheeks blushing at the thought of being cradled in Edwards arms.

Jasper cleared his throat, and I remembered he was likely sensing exactly what had me blushing, causing Alice to giggle and Edward to smile.

"Think of it like a piggy back ride. Here, wrap your arms around my neck, and make sure you're holding on tight." He said, pulling my arms around his neck. He gently picked up my legs, one on either side of his hips, and told me to hold on, then without warning it was as if we were flying.

He sped so swiftly through the forest that it was almost as if he wasn't even touching the floor. I barely opened my eyes wide enough to see splashes of green and brown whizz pass us, and occasionally glimpsed Alice or jasper running alongside us. Finally, what felt like maybe 5 minuets pass by, he slowed down and my grip loosened.

"Okay, were here Bella… You can let go now." Edward said, gently tapping my arms. I unhooked my legs and stiffly let me arms go of him and swayed on my feet.

"Whoa… that was something else." I said, still uneasy on my feet. It felt as though I had been spinning in circles, my legs not knowing how to function at the moment. I vaguely noticed the blanket that Alice must have splayed beneath me as I fell to the ground, glad to be still and not flying anymore. I looked up to Edward to see if he would sit with me and I gasped at what I saw.

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	12. Pretty Boys

**So sorry for the delayed post my Darlings, but I do hope that you like this new Chapter made especially for you 3 **

**Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)... **

_**pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, **_**klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Passion82, Camilla10, Alanna-Banana1987, isabella0106, MouseKitty, Feelo Ivashkov, moon shadow 31, viau1, juney83uk, Vero Diaz, thepinktabby, GeminiEyes, simon-cowell-like-judge, jadeEyre, Ahleia, Daniellexx, xoxtinysingerxox**

**... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)**

**SM owns all!**

_"Okay, were__ here Bella… You can let go now." Edward said, gently tapping my arms. I unhooked my legs and stiffly let me arms go of him and swayed on my feet._

_"Whoa… that was something else." I said, still uneasy on my feet. It felt as though I had been spinning in circles, my legs not knowing how to function at the moment. I vaguely noticed the blanket that Alice must have splayed beneath me as I fell to the ground, glad to be still and not flying anymore. I looked up to Edward to see if he would sit with me and I gasped at what I saw.___

"You're so pretty…" I said, sitting on the ground as Edward lay shirtless before me.

"Bella…" he groaned, "will you please stop saying that. Men are not pretty. Men are rugged and handsome and masculine; not pretty."

"Sorry, I just can't help it. You're like a diamond, sparkly and pretty." I said in awe, still starting. "Does it sparkle…everywhere?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"If you're referring to Eddie Jr, then yes, it does." Alice quipped from a few feet away, her head resting on Jaspers lap while reading a book. This earned a chuckle from Jasper, who was currently pretending to be sleeping, and an eye roll form Edward.

"How would you know Alice?" He said, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.

"Jasper and I one time-"

"ALICE! Stop! New topic please?" Edward said quickly, mortification clearly written on his face.

"Oh, please tell me more Alice…" I said, winking at her while turning to see Edwards expression.

"Ha Ha very funny Bella. Trust me, that's not the type of conversation you want to get started with these two." Edward said.

"At least were not as bad as Emmett and Rose. Those two are like Rabbits." Alice said, finally tossing her book aside and sitting up. "How about some girl talk Bella?"

"Doesn't there have to be only girls for there to be girls talk Alice?" I said, nodding at Jasper and Edward.

"It's a loose term. What are your intentions with my little brother Bella?" She eyed me seriously.

"Technically I'm your big brother Alice. I was born first." Edward pointed out.

"Details. Please answer the question Bella." Alice said, still looking at me.

"Um… I don't know what you mean Alice." I said, not sure if she was joking or not.

"Are you intending of letting Edward off the hook for this little mix up or are you going to let things end because of it?"

"It wasn't a little mix up Alice. You're Vampires, and all of you lied to me. I don't see this as being a little mix up," I said honestly. I could see that I had hurt Edward with my sudden outburst, but the truth was the truth. "Look, it's not that I can't get past this, because I'm trying. It's a lot to take in, and if you were in my shoes, wouldn't you be a little afraid?"

"Personally, I don't think I'd wear converse, maybe some Jimmy Choo's though… but what I mean is that I can definitely see your point, but we are never going to hurt you Bella. You don't have to worry about turning into snack time around us." She said, giving me what she thought was a reassuring smile.

"I wasn't thinking about snack time Alice…" I said deadpan. "I was referring to the fact that what about when you guys have to move on because people are starting to notice that none of you age. What happens when you all have to leave and I'm still stuck here having to live life with you." I said, looking quickly to Edward, then away.

"That, I can assure, is something that will never happen Love." Edward said, pulling himself upright. He reached over and brushed a strand of hair that fell in my face away and gently kissed my temple. 'If the time some where we must remove ourselves from Forks, I will never leave you Bella, not until you're ready. I'll hide out in your closet if I have to." Edward said.

"I just don't want to allow myself to fall into your world, then be tossed out like some old toy." I admitted.

"That will never happen love, I won't let that happen."

"Well… now that girl time is over, let's get back to the house, Bella is starving." Alice said, just as my stomach was beginning to growl. "Esme has dinner ready at home for you."

"It's already dinner time?" I asked, surprised to see the sun already descending upon the horizon.

"Yep. Time flies when you're staring at pretty boys doesn't it?" Alice teased.

"For the last time Alice, I Am Not Pretty!" Edward snapped. I couldn't help but giggle as I wrapped my arms and legs around Edward as he raced off to his home. After I untangled myself from him, I paused before going inside.

"Edward, can I talk to you alone for a second?" I asked, reaching out for his hand.

"Of course, Bella." Edward said, leading us a little farther away from the house. The tree line grew thicker and it became harder to see past the trees to the house out here. "We should be able to go unheard out here with the creek drowning us out. Plus, Alice thought it was an opportune time to turn on the football game for the entire house to hear. What's on your mind?"

Quickly, I reached out and pulled his face to mine, kissing him so intensely that I genuinely caught him off guard. I was prepared for him to pull away since he just stood there frozen, arms at this side, but I was surprised when I suddenly felt him pull me in closer and deepen the kiss. After what felt like only seconds, but was more like a couple of minutes, our lips broke apart, each of us gasping for air even though I knew he didn't need any. Slowly, we both began to compose ourselves, but not yet letting each other go.

"As much as I definitely pleasantly surprised, do you care to explain what just happened?" Edward asked, his thumbs rubbing circles on my hips.

"I've been thinking of this entire situation all day and while we were on our way back tonight, I was surprised with myself. I realized that I wasn't afraid of the thought of you being a vampire. I was more afraid of the thought of not spending forever with you. Of finding out one day that you've left and it was as if it were just a dream. If I accept this, and fall in love with you deeper than I've already fallen, I need to be sure that you'll be there to catch me. I need you to know that I'm just as deep in this as you and where ever you go, I go." I said, looking him in the eye.

"Bella, I will never leave you. I don't know how else to prove it to you. You can fall Bella, I promise I'll catch you as long as you catch me too." He said, leaning down and gently kissing my lips. "I'd ask you to marry me, but I somehow feel as if that wouldn't be enough."

"I'm too young to get married, but I'll take forever. Forever is never too soon as long as it's with you. Come on, I don't want to keep your family waiting too long." I said, tugging him back.

"Silly Bella, they're your family now too." He said, pulling me to him again.

"I suppose you're right," I said, nuzzling his neck. "Does this mean we can trade Emmett in for something else?" I joked.

"Hey! I heard that!" We heard a voice boom from the house.

"Just kidding!" I yelled back, laughing.

"Welcome to the family… Bella Belly!" the boom sounded again.

"It's not too late to trade…" Edward whispered beside me.

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